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UK Censorship of The Big Bang Theory
The Big Bang Theory has been heavily censored in UK airings of the show, due to different TV guidelines. In the UK, The Big Bang Theory airs on the channel E4 and, secondarily Channel 4. Lots of lines or even entire scenes are removed in order to meet UK TV guidelines. This happens because The Big Bang Theory typically airs on E4 before the "watershed" (a phenomenon on British TV channels where content showing before 9:00 pm has to be kept clean of adult content). Episodes always air totally uncensored on the first airing of the episode (despite being before the watershed), the censorship being added in reruns. Occasionally, new censors are added after many airings, sometimes even years after the episode first aired on E4. There are several ways to legally view the episodes uncensored in the UK. This censorship does not apply to the DVD releases of the show in the UK - all episodes in the first eight seasons are uncensored on DVD with a '12' or '15' rating. The first 8 seasons are also available for free streaming on Netflix UK and are uncensored. And occasionally, E4 shows The Big Bang Theory after the watershed uncensored. FEEL FREE TO ADD TO THIS PAGE IF YOU NOTICE ANY CENSORSHIP ON E4 AIRINGS NOT LISTED HERE. General Cuts *Lines that may be too inappropriate or sexual. *Profanity - words like "Bitch", "Bastard", and "Piss" are almost always removed. *References to genitals or porn are usually cut. This includes any reference to masturbation or orgasms. *Most references to prostitution (including words like "slut", "whore" or "hooker") are cut. *References to illegal drugs (heroin, cannabis, cocaine etc.) are almost always removed. *Things may even get removed for being too graphic or frightening. However, this has only been found to happen once in this entire show. Season 1 "Pilot" * Sheldon's line, "Well, today we tried masturbating for money." is cut. * Sheldon's line, "You think with your penis." is cut. "The Big Bran Hypothesis" * Sheldon's line "Ah, gravity, thou art a heartless bitch" is cut. * Penny's reaction when she finds the cleaned apartment is cut down. Her line, "Son of a bitch!" is shortened to simply "Son of a-", and her line, "You sick, geeky bastards!" is changed to "You sick, geeky-". The cuts are sudden and obvious. "The Fuzzy Boots Corollary" * Leonard's line, "The bastard teleported!" is cut. * The lines about rebound sex are possibly cut (need to confirm). "The Luminous Fish Effect" * Howard's, "Hey, what's up, science bitches?" is cut. * Mr's Cooper's line, "It pissed the dog off to no end" is cut. "The Hamburger Postulate" * Lesley Winkle's "...unless you're a heroin addict..." was removed, though the following line regarding opiates is left in, making the line confusing. "The Middle Earth Paradigm" No censorship was found in this episode. "The Dumpling Paradox" * Everything from Penny's line, "...and washing the sluttiest collection of underwear you have ever seen in my bathroom sink" to "He really needs to dial it down" is cut. * Sheldon's line, "Who needs Halo when we can be regaled with the delightfully folksy tale of the whore of Omaha?" cuts off after "Who needs Halo...", then Leonard's line, "Oh, I don't think she's a whore", and Penny's, "No, yeah, she's definitely a whore." are both cut. * All the lines where Sheldon and Leonard are discussing whether sex or Halo 3 is better outside of the Wolowitz house are removed. * Mrs. Wolowitz's line, "Go back to Babylon, you whore" is changed to "Go back to Babylon", and Raj's line, "I thought she was the whore of Omaha?" along with Sheldon's "Shhh!" are removed. * Howard's "Son of a bitch" is removed. "The Pancake Batter Anomaly" * Despite the fact the word "Bastard" is usually cut in UK airings, in this episode, Penny's line, "You rat-bastard" is not cut, due to it being obscured by the loud studio audience laughing. "The Bat Jar Conjecture" * Raj's line, "How come on Star Trek everybody’s private parts are the same. No alien lady ever told Captain Kirk, hey, get your thing out of my nose." is cut entirely. * Sheldon's "It's on, bitch!" is changed to, "It's on!". * Leslie Winkle's line, "There’s no reason to feel uncomfortable just because we’ve seen each other’s faces and naked bodies contorted in the sweet agony of coitus", cuts off after "naked bodies". "The Porkchop Indeterminacy" * Howard's line, "Your poor, deluded bastard", cuts off, leaving, "You poor, deluded-" * This episode is titled "The Shiksa Indeterminacy" in the UK for some reason. "The Tangerine Factor" * Penny's line, "That stupid self-centred bastard wrote about our sex life on his blog." cuts out the word bastard, leaving "That stupid self-centred- wrote about our sex life on his blog", and her line, "Drop dead, you stupid self-centred bastard!" was changed to "Drop dead you stupid self-centred-". Season 2 "The Lizard-Spock Expansion" * Penny's, "Screw him, you're fine", was changed to "You're fine". * Howard's "Son of a bitch", the last line of the episode, is cut. "The Maternal Capacitance" * Amazingly, both mentions of the word "penis" were not removed in this episode. "The Dead Hooker Juxtaposition" * Sheldon's line, "So? Do cocaine smugglers write cocaine on the box?" is cut. * All references to hookers are removed. Strangely enough the title isn't changed. * Alicia's line, "Well, what are you going to do about it, bitch?" is changed to "Well, what are you going to do about it?" * At the end, Penny's line, "Well, dead whore on TV, live one in real life." is cut. "The Hofstadter Isotope" *Howard's line, "I’m a horny engineer, Leonard. I never joke about math or sex." is shortened to, "I never joke about math or sex". *Raj's "Let's bounce, bitches!" is removed. *Howard's line, "The lucky bastard" is removed. "The Vegas Renormalization" This episode never aired on E4 for unknown reasons. "The Classified Materials Turbulence" *Amazingly, Raj's use of the word "Bitch" in this episode was left in. No censorship was found in this episode. "The Monopolar Expedition" *Leonard's "Son of a bitch!" after he removes his glove in the freezer is cut. Season 3 "The Electric Can Opener Fluctuation" *Penny's phrase, "Big ol' slutbag" is cut. "The Jiminy Conjecture" *Amazingly, Howard's use of the word "Bitch" in this episode was left in. No censorship was found in this episode. "The Cornhusker Vortex" *Raj's "Son of a bitch" is cut. "The Guitarist Amplification" No censorship was found in this episode. "The Adhesive Duck Deficiency" *Howard's line, " I lost my virginity to my cousin Jeanie." is cut. *The last two lines of the episode are cut - Howard's "You're a real douche" and Raj's "Who cares? You slept with your cousin!" "The Vengeance Formulation" *All lines between, but not including, "Thanks Howard" and "So shall we get started?" are cut. "The Maternal Congruence" *Beverly's line, "I am a trained psychiatrist and you are exhibiting the same secretive behavioural tics that accompanied your learning to masturbate" cuts off after, "I am a trained psychiatrist". *Beverly's line, "...being betrayed by a loathsome son of a bitch" cuts off after "being betrayed". However it was very poorly done, and was obvious, cutting out part of "betrayed". *Beverly's line, "Oh, that’s nothing. I’ve been responsible for my own orgasms since 1982" is cut. *Penny saying, "What's so funny?" and Beverly's response, "That’s exactly what I say during orgasms. Yikes." is cut. *Penny's line, "Oh, Beverly, I can’t talk to my boyfriend’s mother about his penis" and Beverly's response, "Oh, fair enough. What can you tell me, if anything, about that busboy’s penis?" are both cut. *Beverly's line, "...don’t make her responsible for her own orgasms as well" is cut. "The Psychic Vortex" *Leonard's line, "We’re planning to have sex right on the salad bar" may have been cut. "The Bozeman Reaction" No censorship was found in this episode. "The Einstein Approximation" No censorship was found in this episode. "The Wheaton Recurrence" *Several lines from the conversation in the comic book store about rabbits were cut. "The Spaghetti Catalyst" *Every line between Penny's "So, how you been?" and Sheldon's "Bazinga", both included, are cut for some reason. *Amazingly, the references to pornography in this episode are left in. "The Plimpton Stimulation" No censorship was found in this episode. "The Staircase Implementation" "The Lunar Excitation" *Penny's "You rat bastard" is cut. Season 4 "The Robotic Manipulation" As expected, this episode was heavily censored. *Penny's line, "...mostly family farms, a few meth labs" is changed to "...mostly family farms". *After Raj's line, "You slipped and fell into a robot hand?" it cuts straight to "Yes. Now, help me!" cutting out Raj's, "Penis first?" *Raj's line, "Really? A robot hand’s got a death grip on your junk, dude. That’s funny, ask anyone" is cut. *In recent airings, Howard's line, "No saws! One circumcision was enough" is changed to simply "No saws!" *Amy asking if Penny thinks she's a slut, and Penny's reaction, is cut. *Amy's line, "Does volunteering for a scientific experiment in which orgasm was achieved by electronically stimulating the pleasure centres of the brain count?" is changed to simply, "Does volunteering for a scientific experiment count?" *In the hospital, the nurse saying the following over the intercom is cut: "I need an orderly with a wheelchair. I got a robot hand grasping a man’s penis out here." **Howard's response, "You think you could be a little more discreet?" and the Nurse's response, "I’m sorry, we don’t have a code for robot hand grasping a man’s penis" are also cut. "The Desperation Emanation" *When Sheldon quotes their mail carrier, his exact words of "Got your back, Jack; bitches be crazy!" was changed to simply "Got your back, Jack!" *Sheldon's line, "Oh, yes, it’s time for me to make love to your daughter’s vagina." was cut. *Sheldon's line, "Agreed. Amy, I find myself wondering if we should actually engage in coitus at least one time in our relationship. Bazinga." is entirely cut out. "The 21-Second Excitation" *The bouncer's line, "Cause I’m the petty functionary with the clipboard, bitch" had the word "bitch" cut off it. "The Boyfriend Complexity" No censorship was found in this episode. "The Justice League Recombination" *Raj saying, "And nobody drew a penis on his (Zack's) forehead", Leonard's response, "That happened to you?" and Raj's line, "First day of cricket camp. They drew it so the testicles were my eyes" are all cut. *After Leonard's line, "I guarantee you’ll be the prettiest girl there", it cuts all the lines until the scene change to the party. "The Bus Pants Utilization" "The Love Car Displacement" *Penny's line, "You know, for a smart guy, you really seem to have a hard time grasping the concept, don’t piss off the people who handle the things you eat" is cut. *Amy's line, "Not for sex, for convenience" may have been changed to simply "For convenience". *Leonard's line, "We can do all kinds of stuff from the waist up, you know?" and Penny's response, "Go to sleep!" are both cut. *Amy's line, "Are we talking about women wanting penises? Because I’d like to weigh in" is cut. *Raj's line, "Certainly. I’d like to raise two points. Number one, I think they are talking about penises. And number two, these mimosas are kicking my little brown ass" is cut down to simply, "These mimosas are kicking my little brown ass". "The Benefactor Factor" *Penny's line, "Good morning, slut", is changed to simply "Good morning". "The Cohabitation Formulation" *Amy's line, "Now let’s talk about Priya, that man-stealing bitch" is changed to simply "Now let's talk about Priya". "The Toast Derivation" *Howard's line, "That crazy bastard’s looking at quirky in the rearview mirror" is changed to "That crazy-'s looking at quirky in the rearview mirror". "The Prestidigitation Approximation" *Penny saying, "There are a lot of bitches out there" is cut, along with Leonard's response, "Yeah, bitches are the worst". "The Zarnecki Incursion" *Bernadette's line, "I feel like I’m supposed to say "that bitch", but I don’t have enough information." is changed to "I don't have enough information". *Bernadette saying, "Oh. That bitch!" is also cut. "The Herb Garden Germination" *Penny's line, "Oh that gossipy bitch!" is changed to just "Oh!". This makes the next line, "No offense, Raj" confusing. *Raj's line, "I can’t believe old Smelly Pooper finally got laid" may have been cut. *Leonard's "Lucky bastard" is cut as well. "The Agreement Dissection" No censorship was found in this episode. "The Wildebeest Implementation" * Amy's line, "That bitch is crafty" is removed. * Amy's line, "It was nice until his wife called me a puta and made me stop" may have been cut. * Penny exclaiming, "That bitch!" is cut. "The Engagement Reaction" *Howard's "Son of a bitch!" after he tries to break the door down is cut. *Penny's line, "That’s why the foreplay goes on and on" and Priya's response, "It does, doesn't it?" MAY have been cut (but Leonard's line, "I'm the king of foreplay" isn't cut, so needs confirm). "The Roommate Transmogrification" *Bernadette saying, "...but I volunteered for the premature ejaculation project" is cut. *Raj's line, "It’s better to have loved and lost than to stay home every night and download increasingly shameful pornography", cuts out the "...and download increasingly shameful pornography" part. **The part of Penny's next line, "...and you hadn’t brought up that creepy pornography story" is cut. Season 5 "The Skank Reflex Analysis" This is one of the most heavily censored episodes of the show. *Penny's line, "I feel like two totally different people, Dr. Jekyll and Mrs. Whore" cuts out the "Dr. Jekyll and Mrs. Whore" part. *All the part of Amy explaining Catherine the Great is cut up until Penny saying "What does this have to do with me?" *Amy's line, "She engaged in interspecies hanky-panky, and people still call her great. I’m sure your reputation can survive you shagging a little Indian boy" is cut completely. *Raj's line, "...um, we didn’t have sex in the conventional sense" is cut, and Penny's response, "Oh, God. Did you pull some weird Indian crap on me?" is cut as well. **To make the conversation flow better, the "No, no" from Raj's next line is also cut. *Raj's line, "I had trouble putting it on, and you tried to help and, that was all she wrote" cut out the "...and you tried to help" part. *Penny's line, "So we didn't actually..." and Raj's response, "I did, and it was beautiful" is also cut. *Several more lines in Penny and Raj's conversation are also cut (must confirm). *Sheldon's line, "All we have to do is move quickly over this ridge, the rock-worshipping pasty-faced bastards won’t know what hit them" is shortened to simply, "All we have to do is move quickly over this ridge". *Howard's line, "Maybe he was too busy writing clumsy penis metaphors about my fiancee" had the word "penis" cut out, leaving "...writing clumsy metaphors..." **Raj's response, "Screw you. That was a beautifully written penis metaphor" may have been entirely cut or partially cut. *Howard's line, "Damn those sons of bitches!" is cut. "The Infestation Hypothesis" More than three minutes of this episode are missing, rendering this episode just fifteen minutes long in the UK. *The entire scene of Leonard and Priya having cybersex is removed. The episode goes from Penny scaring Sheldon with the cushion straight to Amy playing the harp in her apartment. This is the longest cut ever on the show, at three minutes. *All the scene between "Come on, dude. This is my sister you’re talking about" and the part where Sheldon enters is also cut (need to confirm, some of it may have been left, but doubt it). *Amy's line, "Everything except bra and panties" may have also been cut. *Leonard's line, "and beg me for more, ’cause, I’m gonna give it to you" may have also been cut. "The Pulled Groin Extrapolation" *Amy's line, "My mom paid my cousin to take me, but he just used the money to buy drugs" is shortened to just "My mom paid my cousin to take me". *Amy's line, "In some cultures, we’d stand outside of their bedroom cheering as they achieved orgasm" is cut, along with Leonard's response, "That sounds like a late night, and I have work in the morning, so..." *Amy's line, "...you’re sitting next to a beautiful woman wearing whorish makeup" has the word "whorish" cut out of it. The edit is choppy and obvious. *Amy's line, "...in this dress, the perfect combination of Madonna and whore." is shortened so the line cuts off after "in this dress". "The Russian Rocket Reaction" No censorship was found in this episode. "The Recombination Hypothesis" *Amy's line, "Too bad. If he were, she could just throw him in bed and ride him right up until he flatlines" is cut. *Raj saying, "You were in the middle of an erection" and Sheldon's response, "Oh, of course. It’s right here in my hand" are cut. "The Friendship Contraction" No censorship was found in this episode. "The Vacation Solution" No censorship was found in this episode. "The Transporter Malfunction" *Penny's line, "My mom gave me the same lecture about my virginity. Gotta tell you, it was a lot more fun taking it out and playing with it" is shortened to just "My mom gave me the same lecture-". "The Stag Convergence" This episode contains much more sexually suggestive dialogue than the average episode of Big Bang. As a result, this episode has been exceptionally heavily censored. *All of Leonard and Penny's conversation between "...and maybe offer to help her kid with his homework" up to the line "Well have fun tonight" is cut, cutting everything about them having sex in the ocean (although Leonard referencing it later at the Stag Party wasn't censored). *After Amy says, "Bernadette, on your wedding night you’ll be consummating your marriage" it cuts straight to Penny saying, "Okay, show's over" several lines later. **Penny saying, "...Not who’s going to sit on who" several lines later may have also been cut. *Sheldon's line, "And the first woman you ever disappointed sexually. Ba-da-bazinga!" is removed. *Raj's speech, "Oh, oh, yeah, and then there was the time when Leonard and I took Howard to Las Vegas and paid a hooker to pretend she was Jewish and that she wanted his little kosher pickle. Of all the Howard humping hookers stories, that one’s my favourite!" is cut in its entirety. **When Bernadette plays the recording of Raj saying "Of all the Howard humping hookers stories, that one’s my favourite", it is shortened to just "...that one's my favourite". *Raj's line, "The only threesome I’ve ever had in my life, and I’m proud to say it was with this man right here" and Howard's response, "Oh please shut up", and Raj's "Oh, oh, don’t get me wrong, nothing happened with me and Howard" are also cut (either partially or fully, need to confirm). *Bernadette saying, "You ain’t goin’ anywhere, Threeway" is cut. *Bernadette's line, "You said you told me about all the girls you’ve been with, but you never mentioned your cousin, the prostitute or Raj!" is shortened to just "You said you told me about all the girls you've been with..." *After Raj saying, "Anything under ten miles an hour and I can combat-roll into the street" it immediately cuts to the next scene change, cutting several lines. *Amy's line, "I’m curious what’s bothering you most, the borderline incest, the prostitute or group sex with the girl dressed as the children’s cartoon" is shortened to just "I'm curious what's bothering you most". *Leonard's line, "Actually, you did do one of them together" may have been cut. *Leonard's line, "I’m gonna have sex with you right here, right now, on that washing machine" is shortened to just "Right now, on that washing machine". "The Launch Acceleration" *Leonard saying, "People say weird things during sex all the time" and Penny's response, "Okay, well, they sure as hell don’t say that" MAY have been cut. Otherwise, no other censorship. Season 6 "The Tenure Turbulence" *Every line about "talking smack about Raj's mother" was cut. *Raj's line, "You’re right. This is beneath me. Like your mother was last night", cuts out the "Like your mother was last night" part. "The Love Spell Potential" No censorship was found in this episode. Season 7 "The Raiders Minimization" *Leonard's line, "There’s chapters about potty training, and bed-wetting and masturbation" cuts out the "and masturbation" part. *Penny's line, "Oh, my God, you still go left!" (in reference to boobs) is cut. *Leonard's line, "Just warning you, I’m gonna go right. Don’t make a big deal out of it." MAY have been cut, though not confirmed. *Penny pointing to her boobs and saying to Leonard, "Now you don’t get the left, or the right" is cut. *Beverly's line, "I was swatting his bottom with your brand new Ping Pong paddle." is cut. "The Cooper Extraction" *The part of Howard's story showing Howard's mother's heavily decomposed corpse sitting on a chair is cut short. The scene cuts off at the point where her chair starts to be swivelled round. This is due to the highly disturbing and graphic nature of the scene. **The lines following this scene: Amy's, "Wait, did she die or did you kill her?" and Howard's, "Eh, tomato, tomahto. The important thing is she’s dead" are also cut. **This is the only time in the entire series something was censored for being too frightening or graphic. "The Hesitation Ramification" *Penny saying, "NCSTD" may have been cut. *Penny's line, "Yep, bunch of old guys rocking out in a band, all with erectile dysfunction, you didn’t get your part cut!" is cut (ironically hahaha). *Howard saying, "Yeah? Well, I fake my orgasms" after Bernadette does her fake laugh is cut. Season 8 "The Focus Attenuation" * Bernadette's line, "We want to see if they (strippers) twirl their junk in the other direction" is cut. "The Comic Book Store Regeneration" *Penny's "Son of a bitch!!" is removed. Season 9 "The Bachelor Party Corrosion" *Every line between "The veins are gummy worms" and "I had extra dough", both included, are cut. *Amy's line, "My mom said pierced ears were for whores, pirates and genies" is cut. *Penny's line, "...and she made us eat penis cookies" is changed to simply, "...and she made us eat cookies". "The Valentino Submergence" *Howard's line, "Son of a bitch, he bit me!" is shortened to simply "He bit me!" Trivia *Episode with most cuts discovered so far - "The Stag Convergence" (14 cuts currently documented) *Episode with most time cut out of it - "The Infestation Hypothesis" (over 3 minutes cut) *Banned episodes discovered - "The Vegas Renormalization" Category:The Big Bang Theory Category:British Category:Reference Materials Category:Trivial Category:Articles Without Photos Category:Season 1 Category:Series 1 Category:Season 2 Category:Series 2 Category:Season 3 Category:Series 3 Category:Season 4 Category:Series 4 Category:Season 5 Category:Series 5 Category:Season 6 Category:Series 6 Category:Season 7 Category:Series 7 Category:Season 8 Category:Series 8 Category:Season 9 Category:Series 9